2 manslaughter convicts sentenced to 10, 3 years in jail

Two men who were recently convicted of manslaughter were slapped with a 10 and three-year sentence by Justice Gino Persaud at the High Court in Essequibo.
Almost five years after he was charged for killing a man, 50-year-old Alvin Calder has been found guilty of the crime and sentenced to 10 years and 11 months’ imprisonment.
Police stated that on April 12, 2007, at White Water Landing, Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Calder also known as “Cheebu” and “CD”, formerly of Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara, unlawfully killed Joseph Willy called “Jeff-man”.
Calder had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.
It was reported that on the day in question, the two men were involved in a drug deal that went bad. Moreover, Willy had allegedly owed Calder $150,000 for goods he had taken from his shop and had refused to pay him despite several requests.
Calder reportedly saw a relative of the now dead man and confronted her over the monies he had owed. After Willy learnt of the confrontation, he reportedly approached Calder armed with a cutlass. At that point, it was reported that Calder shot him twice, and then made good his escape. Calder was only arrested in 2016 after he was on the run for several years.
In another case before Justice Persaud, 25-year-old Tony Rampersaud who stabbed his drinking buddy to death was sentenced to three years, five months, and 22 days’ imprisonment for the crime. Initially indicted for murder, Rampersaud was found guilty on the lesser count of manslaughter by a jury.
On November 19, 2016, in the county of Essequibo, Rampersaud unlawfully killed Henry Mendonca, a Venezuelan national. Upon his arraignment before the Judge, Rampersaud, formerly of Eteringbang, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), had pleaded not guilty to the murder indictment.
According to the facts, Rampersaud and Mendonca, who both resided in Venezuela, came to Guyana on the day in question and were drinking at the Eteringbang Landing. However, an argument ensued between the two, and Rampersaud broke a bottle and stabbed Mendonca to his abdomen. The injured man was taken to San Martin Hospital in Venezuela, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The case for the prosecution in both matters was presented by State Counsel Lisa Cave.